against poison? Purifying water, that sort of thing? Surely something that can

bring a dead man back to life can disinfect like Lysol?”

Review:
In this latest installment of the Abby Sinclair series, author Allison Pang takes us on a fast-paced, intriguing ride through the world of TouchStones, Daemons, Celestials and Unicorns. This book takes place approximately 6 months after the events of A Brush of Darkness. We learn that Abby isn't in much contact with incubus Brystion (Ion for short), and that she is learning how to control her dreams with the help of Sonja, the succubus sister of Ion. Talivar the sexy and mysterious elven prince is serving as Abby's bodyguard. Moira, the faerie princess who is Protectorate and ToushStoned to Abby, is absent again, having been called back to the Faery Court.

As the action begins, the Queen of the Faery Court closes down the CrossRoads, which is the path between the human world and the faery world. This is significant, because it means that the OtherFolk are trapped in the human world and are beginning to fade away. Without a TouchStone, Otherfolk can die if they cannot return to their realm.

Allison Pang does an excellent job with character development. All of the characters in this book are layered and deep. I enjoy the snarkiness of Abby and Phin the unicorn, and I love the brooding, tortured vibes from Brystion and Talivar. Pang does a great job balancing the darkness in this book with humor.

I didn’t wait to be asked twice, arching on tiptoe to find him again, the whiskey hot on his breath as he groaned. He trapped me against the wall, his arms bent on either side of my face.

“You don’t seem that sorry.”

“Mayhap I’m not,” he agreed, coming up for air a moment later. “You just seemed so…sad.”

“And the prescription for sadness in Faerie is kisses?”

Abby is a loyal and giving character, sometimes to her detriment. She has survived a frightening past, and is still learning to overcome her fears in this book. Unfortunately, Abby finds herself in the damndest situations. One thing after another happens plot wise that seems to be a run of bad luck. Abby finds herself in a situation where she needs to save the human and faerie worlds and the creatures that inhabit both.

Abby is one lucky girl to have Talivar helping her out in this book. I was disappointed when he was introduced in A Brush of Darkness because I was already sold on the Abby-Brystion relationship. In this book, we see much more of Talivar than Brystion, and I appreciate the introduction of Talivar very much. Talivar has his own secrets and issues, and he has a dark and sexy vibe. Who doesn't love a tortured hero with an eye patch and a slew of scars? Abby and Talivar have a lot more in common than what can be seen on the surface.

Talivar grunted in assent, watching Benjamin for a moment before heading past the bar and beelining for the stage. I watched the prince’s ass, simply because I could. There was something about that slim-hipped swagger that had my Lord of the Rings inner geek demanding some sort of fan service. Preferably the mostly undressed sort.

Phin the unicorn is as horny and crude as ever. I like to think of Phin as an amusing, wise-cracking, bacon-loving, ass-biting unicorn but he had a few of his own secrets in this book, too. I was taken aback at one of Phin’s secrets and I don’t think I’d have been as forgiving as Abby. Phin does still bring a touch of levity to this story that had me laughing out loud.

“That piece of shit doesn’t deserve bacon," she growled. “Between the snoring and the biting,” Katy shuddered next to me, cracking open a single bloodshot eye at the backpack. “He didn’t bite me, but he was in my suitcase. Rolling in my…..my unmentionables. There’s glitter everywhere.”

Brystion doesn’t get as much page time in this book as in the previous one. There is angst surrounding every situation Brystion is found in. Abby still feels an undeniable pull towards the incubus, and Brystion obviously has a “thing” for Abby. But this is complicated. He has to have sex with other women due to his nature, and I can’t fault him for that. As much as I hoped he and Abby would work out their differences in this book, I’m starting to believe now that Ion isn’t the one for Abby. Brystion has his own problems, and one of them is the belief that he could never be the man he wants to be for Abby. As many times as he breaks Abby’s heart, I think he’s breaking his own at the same time.

“When I see you here, standing in the Dreaming…I can think of nothing else. You shine so brightly and I am so utterly helpless before it.”

A good portion of this book takes place in Faery, and Allison Pang does a lovely job of world building. From Abby’s Heart of Dreaming, to Faery, to the characters we are introduced to along the way, this is top-notch world immersion.

My only complaint with this book is the dreaded love triangle. I was upset at the end of A Brush of Darkness when it seemed like there was no hope for Abby and Brystion. I still wanted them to work out their problems. However, as we got to know Talivar, I started rooting for the Crippled Prince. There is something so vulnerable about him, and although Brystion has the sexy going on, I think Taliver at this point is better all-around for Abby. I don’t want to see Abby pulled into a bad love triangle, but I have confidence that Pang will make it all work. I would also like Abby to stop being made a pawn in other people’s games. It’s time Abby takes her life by the reins and puts an end to this faery manipulation.

This book ends on a cliff hanger. The type of cliff hanger that will have me breaking down the doors to the bookstore the day that A Trace of Moonlight is released. How do you feel about cliff hangers? As much as I hate them, they certainly have me racing back for more!

Tell me - what do you think of this series? Are you rooting for Brystion or Talivar? Is Abby making informed choices? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.

Lisa and Little Sprites - It took me a while to get into the first book, but I attribute that to the world building. It gets very interesting towards the second half of the first book, and the second book is very good! Good luck! It think this series is going to turn into something great :)

I picked up a copy at the L.A. Convention last year. So glad that I did! The originality was refreshing & I loved it! I've had A Sliver of Shadow on pre-order for a while now! Congrats on the release Allison!

I am loving the series! Honestly, the writing is first class and the character development is superb. Abby is a very likeable heroine, and who doesn’t love Phin? I mean, really. I was sad at the way things ended between Abby & Brystion at the end of BoD, but the addition of Taliver does make things pretty interesting. Also, I am not well-versed in the fantasy genre, beyond LOTR, anyway, and a bit of vampire and werewolf lore, so I am learning quite a bit about a lot of the fantasy characters through Allison’s books.

I’m not far along enough in SoS yet to really get a good feel for whether Brystion or Taliver is better suited for Abby, but given Brystion’s “profession,” I’m leaning towards Taliver at this point.

Hi, Dovelily! I was sad about Brystion at the end of the first book, too. But I am all Team Talivar now! Brystion left when things got tough. I think the first book was a much more difficult read than this second one. Enjoy!

I'm following along on the hop. This book sounds fantastic. I can't believe I never noticed book 1. I personally do not like cliff hangers. It drives me mad and I to will be busting down the bookstore door...lol..well not all the time..I have a kindle so quick downloads =) I love the teasers you posted. I'll take faerie kisses any day. Thanks so much for the post and chance to win. Have a good weekend.Tanyaw1224(at)yahoo(dot)com